Veteran sportsmen reunite,go down memory lane

Hockey Olympian Balbir Singh Grewal said,“I love sports and till the time I am alive,sports will breathe in me. I have difficulty in walking now,but I could not stop myself from coming to meet my old friends.”

Another hockey Olympian Col Jaswant Singh was busy hugging his friends and addressing them with their nicknames. Dronacharya awardee Baldev Singh was also in upbeat mood.

Daljeet Singh Grewal,75,another international player,was also looking fresh. He got a walking disability after an accident few years ago. But Grewal still gives sports tips to budding players.

Punjab Basketball Association honoured the international players. However,young players failed to cheer the veterans.

Teja Singh,general secretary of Punjab Basketball Association had to ask the young players to “clap for your heroes at least”. “You have been given golden opportunities to meet them all together. People used to wait to watch them on TV sets. They are the ones who took Indian hockey and basketball to new heights,” he said.

The budding players followed the instructions of Dhaliwal.

“It is just like an alumni meet for all of us as maximum of us met after a long time,such functions should be organised at regular intervals so that old players can meet. Moreover in such functions,a good interactive session takes place,due to which the young generation can grow,” said Ajmer Singh,India’s highest scorer in basketball with 175 points in a single match.

Veteran players however stated that young players want easy success and they want to take drugs,don’t want to work hard and most of them want to be rich overnight.

Win the games by hard work and not by steroids to defame the country and the game,said the players.